The Ocean Charter School Kindergarten, literally “child’s garden” when translated from the German, is the foundation for subsequent formal education. It is a curriculum based on research about developmentally appropriate practices for the young child. The core subjects of Language Arts, Math, Science, and History (core) are brought to the children through daily imaginative storytelling, rhythmic work, observation, and experiential learning opportunities. Our two-year, developmentally attuned program cultivates creativity, imagination and initiative through the serious and vital activity of play. Through baking, storytelling, dramatic play, household arts, painting and time outdoors in nature, children develop skills in listening, following directions, getting along with others and taking care of their classroom and each other. Their literacy skills are indirectly developed through the language-rich environment of elevated vocabulary and rich, complex storytelling. Their mathematical skills are indirectly developed through experiencing patterns and rhythms. Environmental awareness is cultivated by celebrating seasonal festivals that make the pupils aware of the yearly rhythms of nature and the interconnectedness of nature and people, even in an urban environment. Time spent working with natural materials (such as wood, wool, water, and sand) gives pupils sensory experiences that evolve into a keen sense of the world around them. Allowing children’s imagination to more fully develop in Kindergarten prepares them for the increased academic rigor in the grades, especially a sense of wonder and the search for answers, which are the foundations of the scientific method of inquiry.